The Great Return by Zuzana Palovic

The Great Return by Zuzana Palovic is an inspiring and informational book which shares a unique perspective on the Central European country of Slovakia and its diverse people. It briefly explores the history of Slovakia and how it has shaped its people, going on to explore the circumstances which led some citizens of Slovakia to...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT

June 29, 2018

The Famous German-Language Poet Who Was Born In Prague

He is widely recognized as one of the best German-language poets, known for his lyrical prose and intense verse, but did you know that this famous writer was born in the capital of the Czech Republic? Rainer Maria Rilke’s story began in the city of Prague, the glimmering capital of Bohemia (Today known as the...

Bohemians, PEOPLE

June 21, 2018

Read This – Slovakia: The Legend of the Linden

Slovakia: The Legend of the Linden is a fully illustrated book about the folklore of the Linden tree, a beautiful tree native to both the Czech Republic and Slovakia which is also the national symbol for both lands. This beautiful book offers an in-depth history of Slovakia based around the Linden tree, or “Lípa” as...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT

June 1, 2018

Našinec – Last Czech-Language Newspaper in Texas Coming to an End

After 104 years of publication, the end for the last Czech-language newspaper in Texas could come in a Williamson County nursing home. It’s there that 82-year-old Joe Vrabel puts out the Našinec paper as far more labor of love than producer of profit. “Oh, I hate to see it go,” he told me in the...

CULTURE, Periodicals

April 30, 2018

The Face of Prague – Beautiful Images from 75 Years Ago

If you are an old friend and supporter of this site, you know that I love old documents, photographs, books, records and ephemera in general. More so, I love sharing my discoveries with you, the readers. That is precisely why I was inspired to share The Face of Prague – Beautiful Images from 75 Years Ago....

CULTURE, History, Photography

January 25, 2018

Somewhere There Is Still a Sun: A Memoir of the Holocaust

Somewhere There Is Still a Sun: A Memoir of the Holocaust – is a recent book published by Simon and Schuster, which describes first hand experiences of a teenager during the Holocaust in Czechoslovakia (1939-1945). This wonderful book has received the following awards already: 2015 Eureka Excellence in Nonfiction Silver Award – California Reading Institute...

Books, Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

November 18, 2017

Foltyn’s Drum: A Czech Story by Svatopluk Čech

Today I am sharing a reprint from an old book, published in 1920. It’s a translation from a Czech story, Foltyn’s Drum written by Svatopluk Čech. The rare images throughout the bulk of the story are of Svatopluk Čech from a book published in 1908 entitled, O Svatopluku Čechovi. Svatopluk Čech Čech was born on February 21,...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT

November 10, 2017

The Indomitable Pioneer Spirit of the Creative Czechoslovaks

My Antonia, written by Willa Cather “in memory of affections old and true”, is the story of a Czech woman who embodied the pioneer spirit. Antonia represented hard work, pride, love of land, and a desire to do what was best and right – in essence, the character of the Czech pioneers who came to...

History, NOSTALGIA

November 7, 2017

The Writings of Czech Poet Jiří Kolář

Jiří Kolář was a Czech painter (September 1914, – August 2002). He worked as carpenter and had a few other a manual jobs in his younger years but by the 1940’s, he was already a leading figure in a Surrealist group. These days he is perhaps most remembered for his beautiful collages (check out the...

Bohemians, PEOPLE

The-History-of-the-Brave-Czech-Nation-Tres-Bohemes

November 4, 2017

The History of the Brave Czech Nation by Lucy Seifert

The History of the Brave Czech Nation (And a Few Insignificant World Events) by Lucy Seifert is a big, beautiful coffee table book that seriously says it all. This fantastic book takes you on a whimsical journey into the past of the Czech Republic all the way from how Homo Sapiens arrived in Moravia to...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT

October 29, 2017

Ladislav Bittman Professor of Disinformation

Lawrence Martin-Bittman (born 1931 in Prague), formerly known as Ladislav Bittman, is an American artist, author, and retired professor of disinformation at Boston University. Prior to his defection to the United States in 1968, he served as an intelligence officer specializing in disinformation for the Czech Intelligence Service. Czech Intelligence Service While in Czechoslovakia, Ladislav...

Bohemians, PEOPLE

August 20, 2017

Bohumil Stepan Illustrates Gulliver in Gulliverovy Cesty

Bohumil Štěpán (April 12, 1913 Krivoklat – March 1, 1985 Mnichov) was a Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist. He studied at the Ukrainian Academy of Fine Arts and the Rotter Graphic School in Prague. He printed his first drawings in the student magazine H2SO4. In 1937, he exhibited a figural composition in the foyer of...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT

August 12, 2017

Otakar Štáfl Takes Us To The Moon and Beyond

Otakar Štáfl was born on December 30, 1884 in Havlíčkův Brod. Located in the medieval town fortifications of Havlíčkův Brod is a bastion, which today bears the name of Otakar Štáfla. He had his studio on the premises. He did not finish grammar school and headed straight for Prague where he was admitted to the...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

July 26, 2017

Winnetou, Old Shatterhand and Old Surehand by Karl May

Karl Friedrich May (February 25, 1842 – March 30, 1912) was a German writer best known for his adventure novels set in the American Old West. His main protagonists are Winnetou and Old Shatterhand. It began with Winnetou. Winnetou, the chief of the Apache, is a legend in many countries, especially in then-called Czechoslovakia. Fresh off...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT

The Great Return by Zuzana Palovic

The Famous German-Language Poet Who Was Born In Prague

Read This – Slovakia: The Legend of the Linden

Našinec – Last Czech-Language Newspaper in Texas Coming to an End

The Face of Prague – Beautiful Images from 75 Years Ago

Somewhere There Is Still a Sun: A Memoir of the Holocaust

Foltyn’s Drum: A Czech Story by Svatopluk Čech

The Indomitable Pioneer Spirit of the Creative Czechoslovaks

The Writings of Czech Poet Jiří Kolář

The History of the Brave Czech Nation by Lucy Seifert

Ladislav Bittman Professor of Disinformation

Bohumil Stepan Illustrates Gulliver in Gulliverovy Cesty

Otakar Štáfl Takes Us To The Moon and Beyond

Winnetou, Old Shatterhand and Old Surehand by Karl May

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